Art Project
by Liayso
Summary: FutureAU fic. Michael and Sara's daughter, Evie, is quite the artistic hellion, but she's so cute! Here are her stories.
1. Art Project

Title: Art Project  
Characters: Sara, Other, Michael  
Rating: G  
Summary: Sara marvels at her daughter's 'art project.'  
Author's Notes: This is a Future Fic where Sara's happily married to Michael and they have an adorable little daughter.

* * *

When she was little, she always colored inside the lines. Now, she was an adult and a mother who had a little daughter who also colored inside the lines.

Sara sat at her desk smiling at the piece of paper pinned to her office wall. It was a drawing of a mama cat with her kitten done in crayola markers, her daughter's main choice of art media. The cat was outlined with black marker and colored grey on the inside. No grey lines escaped the black lines.

"Cute drawing, did your kid draw it?"

Sara looked up at one of her nurses who had just entered her office to turn in some patients' paperwork. She smiled and nodded a "Yes."

"How old is she?"

"She'll be turning six in a couple of months."

"Wow, she's only five and she draws like that? She'll become quite the little artist."

"Thanks," Sara said as she took the files from the nurse and stuck them into her bag.

"You headin' out?"

"Yeah. I really should get home and check on Michael. He has a cold and Evelyn can be quite a handful to look after." Sara stood up and slung the strap of her brown bag over her shoulder. She waved goodbye to the nurse and left.

When Sara got home she was bombarded with the bright smile of her five year old daughter.

"Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" She exclaimed, jumping up and down in excitement. "I did an art project today!"

Sara smiled down at her daughter. "That's nice sweetie. Where is it?"

With the biggest grin on her face, little Evelyn replied back, "On Daddy!"

Sara blinked. "What?"

Sara could barely stifle the giggles threatening to escape her mouth as she looked upon the sight before her. There on their bed, was Michael without his shirt on sleeping on his stomach, and his entire back was filled with a rainbow of colors. Evelyn had colored in all of her father's tattoos that she could reach with crayola marker.

Sara quietly whispered to her daughter, "Sweetie, how did you do all this without Daddy waking up?"

"He fell asleep and I was bored so I started coloring his back and he just didn't wake up."

Sara shook her head in amusement. "Did your father drink his medicine today?"

Evelyn nodded her head.

"Did he drink from the red bottle or the green bottle?"

"Um, the green bottle."

Sara once again had to muffle her laughter. Michael had drunken Nyquil instead of Dayquil. That's why he was passed out on their bed. Sara shook her smiling head. Evelyn was the only one capable of causing someone as careful as Michael to make such a mistake.

"Sweetie, can you go get the camera for me?" Sara asked in a sing song voice. "I want to keep a memento of your little art project."

"Okay!" Evelyn bounced out of the room to retrieve the digital camera.

Sara watched her leave and then turned back to look at her husband. Just like the kitty drawing, all the coloring was done inside the lines. She smiled. Evelyn was just like her back when she was a kid. She always colored inside the lines.

When Evelyn came back with the camera, Sara was sure to get multiple pictures of Michael's coloring book of a back. She also zoomed in to take a picture of the happy face that Evelyn had drawn on his left temple, using his mole as one of the eyes.

Yes this was quite the art project, and Sara was quite proud of her daughter.


	2. Nyquil Should be Drunk at Night

Title: Nyquil Should be Drunk at Night.  
Characters: Michael, Sara, Other

Rating: PG  
Summary: Michael learns the consequences of drinking Nyquil during the day.  
Author's Notes: This is the follow up piece to "Art Project." Enjoy!

* * *

The smell of tomatoes mixed with spice wafted into his nose and woke him up from his slumber.

Michael Scofield lazily blinked open his eyes and let out a long yawn. He lifted his head from his pillow and pushed his body up, stretching his long inked arms. The bedroom was dimly lit. It was already evening and apparently dinnertime, according to his nose. He swung his legs over his bed and walked over to his dresser pulling out a white cotton t-shirt. Michael slipped it on as he followed the scent out into the hallway and to the kitchen where Sara was cooking spaghetti and Evelyn was setting the table.

The five year old looked up just as her father entered the room.

"Daddy!" She rushed over to him with that lopsided grin of hers and hugged his legs.

"Hi Evie," Michael smiled, bending down to return her hug.

Sara turned her head to look over her shoulder. "It's about time you woke up, Sleeping Beauty."

Michael scooped Evelyn up in his arms and carried her over to his wife to kiss her on the cheek.

"How are you feeling?" Sara asked.

"Better."

"I guess all that rest helped." Sara said, smiling.

"Daddy, you slept for a really _long_ time." Evelyn emphasized 'long' by spreading her arms out wide.

"Sorry Sweetie," Michael said as he walked back to the table where he sat his daughter in one of the seats. "I guess I was even more tired than I thought."

"Nah, it's because you drank from the green bottle instead of the red one," Evelyn said with a giggle.

It took a minute for Michael to realize she was talking about his cold medicine. He had taken Nyquil instead of Dayquil. That's why he slept for so long.

"I'm sorry Evie," Michael pouted, "you must have been bored all day, huh?"

Evelyn shook her head. "No, I had fun today."

"Oh? What did you do?"

Michael saw his daughter quickly glance at Sara then back at him. She smiled and replied, "I colored in some pictures."

"Oh, can I see them, sweetie?"

The five year old glanced once again at her mother. Michael glanced at her as well. He could have sworn he saw Sara lift her finger up to her mouth in a silent 'Shhh.' Evelyn's smile grew bigger. "Maybe later, Daddy."

Michael frowned. Something fishy was going on between mother and daughter; he knew that what with the way the two women in his life smiled like two Cheshire Cats.

"Dinner's ready!" Sara set the pot of spaghetti on the table, breaking any thoughts of suspicion that Michael had, and the three of them began their quiet little dinner.

-

Michael walked into the small bathroom where his daughter was just finishing brushing her teeth. She spat out some water and dabbed her mouth dry with a small towel.

He smiled. "Are you done brushing your teeth?"

"Yup!" Evelyn showed off her pearly whites with a big grin. She stepped off the stool she stood on and reached for her father's hand and the two headed to her bedroom.

Evelyn immediately climbed into bed once they got there. She grabbed her teddy bear and hugged it to her small body. Michael pulled up the covers, tucking her in, and gently kissed her forehead goodnight. He was about to leave when Evelyn called out to him.

"Daddy?"

"Yes?"

"Can we go to the store tomorrow, please? I need some new markers."

Michael smiled. "Okay. Good night Evie."

"Good night Dad."

Michael switched off her lamp and headed towards his bedroom where Sara was putting some clean folded up laundry away into their dressers. He walked pass her to their bathroom and finally saw his reflection for the first time that night.

"Sara," he called out from the bathroom, "why is there a happy face on the side of my head?"

Michael heard Sara laugh and soon she was in the bathroom with him, grinning at him from ear to ear.

"Evelyn did an art project while you were sleeping."

"She drew the happy face on me?"

"Oh, she did more than that!" Sara tugged at the bottom of his shirt and simply said, "Arms up!"

Michael gave her a look of amusement before complying and Sara lifted the cotton shirt over his head.

"Turn around and look in the mirror."

Michael did as he was told and he finally saw his daughter's little 'art project.'

"Well?" Sara asked, trying not to laugh.

"I'm thinking we should start buying Evelyn crayons instead of markers."

Sara chuckled and captured her husband's lips in a kiss. She grasped the strings of his sweatpants and tugged on them, leading her husband to the shower stall. "Come on, I'll help you wash it off."

Michael grinned mischievously.

"On second thought, maybe I should let Evelyn draw on me more often."


	3. Moaning Monsters

A/N: Okay I decided to add to this because of my beta reader Jen. Heheh. The rating's going to go up! Enjoy!

* * *

The shower nozzle sprang to life when Sara turned the little knobs. Millions of water droplets came out in a long spray into the shower stall. But Michael paid no attention to it. His eyes were locked on his wife.

Sara stuck her hand in the spray of water to check the temperature and felt it begin to warm. She then turned around and gave her husband a smile that was both innocent and seductive. Only she could smile like that and Michael took great pleasure in knowing that he was the only one that saw that smile from her.

His wife moved her hands down to the bottom of her shirt. Her fingertips grasped the hem and began to pull up. Michael watched completely mesmerized as inch by inch of milky flesh was revealed to him. As soon as the shirt was over her head, Michael quickly closed off the few steps that separated them and pulled Sara into a deep and passionate kiss.

They continued to kiss as they undressed each other. Soon their pajama pants and underwear were pooled at their ankles and Sara's bra was dropped to the bathroom floor. The couple stepped out of the pile of clothing and into the shower stall. Michael shut the sliding door behind them, their lips still pressed up against each other.

The kiss continued as they stood beneath the shower of water spraying down on their naked bodies, but soon enough they needed some air.

"Woo..." Sara said, trying to catch her breath. She wore a blissful smile on her face. "We haven't done something like this in a long time."

Michael grinned smugly down at her. "Way too long." And with that he kissed her again.

Sara blindly reached for the bar of soap she knew was resting on the soap dish. She finally found it and brought her hands to her husband's back. Michael felt her hands glide across his back with the bar of soap. Swirls of colors began to flow down his body disappearing down the drain. But Michael paid no heed to that. He was too busy kissing his wife. One hand was getting itself tangled in her wet locks while the other traveled down her body, gently caressing her.

"Michael..." Sara softly whispered when his lips moved down to her neck, eliciting incredible sensations throughout her body.

Michael heard a small thud and knew that Sara had dropped the bar of soap. It was soon forgotten after that. Sara's hands circled to the front of his inked chest and began sliding up. One rested on his shoulder while the other slid up his neck to his shorn head, bringing his face up and his lips down to hers.

Michael gently pushed his wife until her back was completely against the tile wall of the shower. He then felt a smooth wet leg slide up his own and wrap itself around his hip. The gesture brought forth a moan from his throat. Sara smiled against his lips. She then brought her own lips to his left temple to kiss the happy face her daughter had drawn there. Then they moved to the spot behind his ear, earning herself another moan.

Not being able to take any more of his wife's teasing and blissful torture, Michael moved his hands down past her waist to cup her bare bottom. His long fingers wrapped around her thighs, bringing both her legs to wrap around his waist. He lifted her up against the wall and then down onto him.

Sara let out a long moan and she gripped his shoulders and the back of his head tightly. Michael took great pleasure in hearing her moan for a change, but soon he was in sensory overload with feelings that only his wife could invoke in him. They moved as one underneath the warm spray of water showering down on them, which only made them hotter for each other.

Soon enough their release came followed by moaning on both ends and Sara was sliding down both the shower wall and her husband's wet muscled body until her feet touched the floor. Her arms wrapped around his neck and rested on his shoulders for support as she tried to return her heavy breathing back to normal.

"Wow..." was all that she could say as she hung onto Michael.

He just chuckled and brought a hand up to cup her face, bringing his lips back down to hers in a gentle kiss filled with intimacy and love. They continued to kiss for awhile with their wet bodies pressed up against each other.

"Mommy? Daddy?" a little voice came from inside the steam filled bathroom.

Both Michael and Sara froze. They both turned their heads and saw the blurry outline of their daughter through the glass shower door. Sara moved from between the tile wall and her husband and slid the door open slightly so she could peek her head out.

"Evie... what are you doing awake sweetie?" she asked her five year old.

"I think there are monsters in my closet," Evelyn said.

"Sweetie, there are no such thing as monsters," Sara told her.

"But I heard them! And they're really loud Mommy!"

Michael chuckled. He knew who the 'monsters' were, seeing as how Evelyn's closet was on the back side of their bathroom. Sara lightly smacked her husband's tattooed chest with the back of her hand.

"Why don't you wait outside and let me get dressed so then I can help you with the monsters, okay?" Sara asked.

"Okay." Evie left the bathroom, her teddy bear's arm grasped in her hand while its feet dragged on the floor.

Sara turned to face her husband who had a slight smirk on his face.

"I guess we were a little too loud, huh?" he asked her with a smug grin.

Sara playfully smacked his chest again. "You!" Michael just chuckled in response. Sara picked up the bar of soap she had dropped earlier and placed it in his hands. "Finish washing up while I go put Evelyn back to bed."

Michael kissed her cheek. "Yes ma'am."

Sara stepped out of the shower and dried herself off. She took her bathrobe off the hook on the door and wrapped it around her body before exiting the bathroom. She found Evelyn sitting innocently on her bed with her teddy bear on her lap. Sara crossed the room and scooped her daughter up into her arms.

"Come on Sweetie," she cooed to her, "let's tuck you back in bed."

"But the monsters..." Evie cried as she buried her face into her mother's shoulder.

"Do you wanna know something? Your father couldn't sleep when he was your age because he thought there were monsters in his closet too," Sara told her as she carried her daughter back to her room.

"Really?"

"Yup. So your Uncle Linc told him that there wasn't anything in the closet, but fear."

"Fear?"

Sara nodded. "Uh huh. And fear isn't real. It's just air, not even that."

Mother and daughter both entered the room. Sara set her daughter down.

"All you have to do is open the door and face your fear, and then the monster will go away."

Evie looked warily at her mother. "But what if the monster comes out?"

"I'm right here Sweetie. Go on, open the door."

Evelyn clutched her teddy bear to her chest. She slowly walked up to her closet door, her little hand reaching for the door knob. She turned it and the door opened. Evelyn stepped back.

There was nothing inside her closet, just old toys and clothes.

Sara smiled. "See Sweetie, no monsters."

Evie turned back to her mother and gave her a small smile. Sara picked her up and put her back in bed. She tucked her in and kissed her forehead.

"Do you think you can go back to sleep now?" she asked the five year old.

Evelyn nodded. "Yeah, thanks Mommy."

Sara smiled. "You're welcome sweet heart. Goodnight."

"Goodnight Mommy," Evie said with a small yawn.

Sara smiled again and quietly walked out of the bedroom and back down the hall towards her own. When she went inside, Michael was just getting out of the bathroom with a towel snugly wrapped around his waist.

"She asleep now?" he asked her.

Sara nodded. She then grinned. "Did you get all the marker off?"

Michael slightly turned and showed her his back. "Evelyn kinda colored it on too thick so some's still there."

Sara slightly chuckled. "You poor thing."

Michael mock pouted. "Yes, poor me. I think I need a kiss."

Sara laughed again and pulled her husband to her, bringing his lips down on hers. Michael walked the two of them to their bed and they fell down on it, with Sara on top of him.

"You know," Michael began with a smug grin on his face, "you're going to have to learn to be quiet or else Evelyn might think the 'monsters' are back."

Sara returned his grin with one of her own. "Hey, you're one to talk! You were moaning just as loud as I was."

Michael chuckled. "That's because you're so good!"

Sara leaned down and kissed him. "Damn straight."

Michael laughed again. "What about me?"

"Well, you're okay..." Sara said with a playful smile.

Michael gave her a look of mock indignation. He then smirked and in a flash of a second Sara found herself beneath his body.

"I'll show you okay!" he told her as he began to undo the tie of her bathrobe.

Sara giggled.


	4. Pregnant Pause

Author's Notes:  
Here we go! The next installment in the Art Project Series featuring our favorite artistic hellion, Evie and her Uncle Linc. I hope you enjoy this one. 

As always, a million thanks to Jen for the quick and perfect beta!

* * *

Evie drank happily from her plastic cup filled with orange juice. It was a bright and sunny morning with the birds chirping outside in the trees and the bees buzzing around the flowers. Her father stood at the stove frying an omelet for breakfast, adding various ingredients not usually found in an omelet. He told Evie that he was trying one of her uncle's recipes. The five-year old heard footsteps and looked up to see Sara enter the room.

"Morning Mommy!" Evie said cheerfully.

Sara gave her daughter a weak smile and slowly sat at the table in the chair across from her. Evie, being very observant for her age (no doubt something she inherited from her father), saw that her mother looked rather pale this morning. She was about to ask her mommy if she was okay when Michael dropped the omelet on the table in front of them, proclaiming "Breakfast's ready!"

Sara took one look at the omelet and became sick. She lurched forward, clamped her hand over her mouth and scrambled out of her chair, toppling it over and rushing to the bathroom.

Michael and Evie exchanged worried glances.

---

"Sara?" Michael asked as he stood in the doorway of the bathroom. Evie was behind one of his tall legs, peeking from the back of his knee.

Sara sat, hunched over the porcelain toilet bowl and wiped the back of her hand over her mouth, having just retched into the toilet. "I'm okay," she told him.

Michael turned and kneeled down to his daughter, lightly grasping her shoulder with his hand. "Evie, how about you go back and finish breakfast?"

"But Mommy—"

"Mommy will be okay. I'll take care of her," Michael assured his daughter.

Evie glanced once more at her mother, not entirely convinced, before turning around to head back to the kitchen. Michael went over to his wife and gently rubbed her back.

"Are you…?" Michael asked, the missing word hanging in the air.

Sara gave him a weak smile. "All the symptoms are there, but we should get an appointment to be sure."

Michael smiled back at her and pulled her to his chest in a sweet embrace… but Sara jerked forward again, emptying the rest of her stomach's contents into the toilet.

---

_Ding. Dong._

Michael opened the front door to see the big burly frame of his older brother. He was going to baby-sit Evie while Michael took Sara to her appointment. Lincoln gave him a brief smile. "Hey Mike."

Michael let his brother in. "Hey."

With his hands in his pockets, Lincoln asked, "So… you and Sara are…?"

"Maybe," Michael said. "We won't know for sure until after the tests, but I have a strong feeling that we are." He grinned.

Lincoln returned his grin. He was happy for his brother and his sister-in-law. He looked around. "So where's my favorite niece?"

"Right here!"

Both Michael and Lincoln looked to see Sara coming down the stairs with Evie just a step behind her. Evie walked with her head bowed down in slight worry.

Lincoln walked right up to them as they reached the bottom step and scooped the five-year old into his thick arms. "Hey there Squirt! You and I are gonna have lots of fun today!"

Evie gave her uncle a sweet but quiet smile in response. Sara kissed her forehead. "You be good for your Uncle Linc, okay Evie?"

Evie nodded. "I will."

Michael smiled and also kissed his daughter goodbye. "We'll be back in the afternoon." He slipped his arm around Sara's waist, meaning to steady her as she walked.

Sara rolled her eyes at her husband's overbearing concern for her, but she smiled as well. "Bye you guys!" she said as they walked out the front door.

Lincoln waved his right arm while his left held up his niece. As Sara and Michael drove away in their car, he turned to look at Evie and saw that she wasn't her usual cheerful self.

"Hey," Lincoln asked shifting her in his arms, "what's the matter?"

"Mommy's sick," Evie said pouting in concern.

"You're mommy's not sick," Lincoln tried to assure her.

"But she's been throwing up a lot."

"Evie, you're mommy's throwing up because she's pregnant," Lincoln explained.

"Pregnant?" Evie repeated wide eyed. She didn't know the word.

Lincoln nodded. "Your mommy and daddy are going to have a baby."

"A baby?"

Lincoln nodded again. He walked over to the couch and set her down on the cushion. She looked up him as he sat next to her.

"Is that where they went?" she asked, her excitement growing at the thought of a baby, "to get a baby?"

"They went to make sure that they're having a baby. If they are, then in nine months you'll have a little baby brother or sister."

Evie frowned. "Nine months is too long! Why can't they get the baby now?" she asked.

"Uh, well…" Lincoln stalled trying to come up with answers to Evie's many questions. "The baby has to be, uh, made and then grow."

Evie pondered over her uncle's explanation for a minute.

"How do you make a baby?"

"... … …"

There were few things in Life that made Lincoln Burrows squirm with discomfort. Evie's question was one of them. There was nothing more silent or more uncomfortable than the pregnant pause that followed after Evelyn's question. Lincoln searched carefully for the right words to say but nothing came out. How do you explain sex to a five your old? Your brother's five year old for Christ's sake!

"Uncle Linc?" Evie poked her uncle with her finger.

He didn't answer her. So Evie asked again, her curiosity of how babies are made getting the better of her.

"How do you make a baby?"

Lincoln finally shook himself out of his stupor, but only incoherent words came out of his mouth. "Well… uh… first there is… and then…"

"Uncle Linc," Evie interrupted his rambling, "do you even know how to make a baby?"

Lincoln stopped his ramblings and looked down at his niece, offended. "Of course I do!"

Evie frowned and crossed her arms. "I don't think you do."

"I'm damn good at making babies! You can just ask your Auntie Jane about it!" Lincoln said, trying to defend his male pride.

He then nearly smacked himself at the ridiculousness of the entire conversation. Was he really talking to his five year old niece about how gratifying he was in bed? Lord, put him back in prison, on death row, for committing the crime of ruining his brother's daughter's innocence and child naiveté!

"Then how come you don't have a baby?" Evie asked, oblivious to the fact that her innocent questions lead to not so innocent answers.

"Eh…" Lincoln began, becoming uncomfortable and squirmy again, "you don't have to make a baby to be good at making them."

Evie's eyes brows furrowed in a mixture of confusion and curiosity. "I don't get it."

"That's okay," Lincoln said, patting the top of her head. He hoped she would drop the subject now.

"But how do you make a baby?"

Apparently Lincoln shouldn't get his hopes up.

"Evie, um, this is something you should really ask your mommy and daddy."

"But I want to know now!" Evie said throwing her arms into the air in a whine.

"I'm sorry, Evie, but you really should wait to ask your mommy and daddy," Lincoln said once again.

"Uncle Linc!" Evie whined, but he stood his ground. Evie then pouted indignantly and crossed her arms. "Fine! I'll ask Daddy." She turned away from him. "He's probably better at making babies than you are," she mumbled under her breath.

Lincoln's eyes narrowed in a frown. "There's no way your daddy's better than me at making babies."

Evie stuck her tongue out at him. Lincoln then let out a laugh. He reached over and began tickling his niece's sides, eliciting a thousand giggles to come out of her mouth.

God help Michael when Evelyn asked him the 'question.'

---

"We're back!" Sara called out as she walked through the front door with Michael right behind her. The two of them had smiles on their faces. In about nine months, there will be another addition to their family. Sara is pregnant.

"Mommy!" Evie came rushing towards her mother at full force and hugged her knees.

Sara smiled. Michael came over and scooped his daughter into his arms. "Where's my greeting, Sweetheart?"

Evie smiled at her father and hugged his neck. "Hi Daddy!"

Lincoln walked towards them, inching his way to the door. "Great! You guys are back! I just remembered that I had some plans with a couple of friends and I really should get going," he said. He was eager to get out of there before Evie opened her big mouth.

"Okay…" Sara said as Lincoln sped out of the door. She blinked. "That was odd." Sara turned to her daughter. "Did you do something bad, Evie?"

Evelyn shook her head. She turned to her father. "Daddy, there's something I wanna ask you."

"What is it?"

"How do you make a baby?"

"………"

Michael very slowly turned his head to Sara. His face was pale with a "Help me!" expression on it. Sara let out a little chuckle. Lincoln obviously told Evie about her condition before they were even sure of it. She took her daughter from her husband's arms and gave Michael a silent look that said, "Just let me handle it."

"Come on Evie. I'll tell you all about how babies are made," Sara said with a gentle smile. She didn't miss the look of relief on her husband's face and let out another chuckle.


	5. Uncle Melon Head

Sara stifled a giggle as she sat cross-legged on her bed. She had finally got her pictures developed. Between her fingertips she held a photograph of Evie's most famous art project featuring her very own husband. The sight of Michael's tattoos colored in with Crayola marker, even in photograph, still made her laugh. Evie was quite the little artist.

Sara smiled. One of her hands reached down to touch her belly. She found a bit of humor in the fact that the baby growing inside her now was conceived because of her daughter's artistic antics.

"Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!"

_Speak of the devil…_

Sara turned to the doorway of her bedroom and saw her daughter rush in with a piece of paper in her hand and a smile on her face.

"Hey sweetie, what is it?"

Evie bounced over to her mother and gave her a toothy grin. "I drew a picture for you!"

Sara smiled. "Let me see," she said pulling the five year old onto her lap, wrapping her arms around her.

Evie showed her mom the picture and pointed. "I drew you and me and Daddy," she said excitedly. "And I also drew my baby brother or sister," Evie said pointing to the little bundle of joy in Sara's arms. Evie was really excited for her new baby sibling. Everyday she went on and on about how she could not wait to play with the baby, hold the baby, and be a big sister to the baby. Sara knew Evelyn would make a wonderful older sister.

"It's lovely Evie," Sara told her. She kissed her daughter's forehead. "Thank you for drawing it for me."

Evie beamed at the praise. She then noticed the pictures her mother was looking at earlier. Her eyes lit up as she picked up a photograph. "Hey! That's my art project!" Evie giggled.

"Uh huh," Sara said with a grin. "And I love that one too. I love all your art projects, sweetie." She hugged her daughter and gave her another kiss on the top of her head, eliciting a small giggle from the girl.

Evie waved one of the pictures in the air. "Can I have one?" she asked.

Sara nodded. "Of course." A smirky grin appeared on her face. "You can show it to your Uncle Linc when we take you to his place later."

---

Evie sang while she held the hands of her parents as the three of them walked up the driveway of Lincoln's house. Michael smiled down at his daughter's happy liveliness. Evie was going to be spending the day at Lincoln's house while Michael and Sara went out to buy her birthday presents. Her birthday was coming up pretty soon. As they approached Lincoln's front steps, Michael and Sara lifted Evelyn up and she let out a giggle.

"Can I push the doorbell button?" Evie asked excitedly.

"Sure," Michael said and Evie stood on her tippy toes to ring the bell.

Instead of Lincoln though, LJ answered the door.

"LJ!" Evie squealed out in glee at the sight of her cousin. She rushed forward and gave him a hug.

Laughter came out of LJ's mouth and he hugged the five year old back. "Hey there Squirt."

"LJ, what a surprise!" Sara said, giving him a hug as well.

"Where's Lincoln?" Michael asked.

"Well, Dad was out late last night with some friends and had too much to drink," LJ explained. "He wasn't feeling well this morning, so he called me up to look after Evie for today."

"And where is he now?" Sara asked.

"In bed, sleeping his hangover off."

"What's a hangover?" Evie asked curiously.

LJ knelt down to Evie's height. "It's when you drink too much and feel sick in the morning," he told her, explaining in a way that would appease her curiosity but keep her innocent.

"But when I drink a lot of apple juice, I don't get sick," she said, "I just have to go to the bathroom really bad."

Michael laughed and picked his daughter up into his arms. "It's a grown up thing, Evie." He then looked to LJ and asked, "You going to be all right looking after her today?"

LJ smiled. "Yeah, of course," he said taking Evie into his arms. "We're gonna have a lot of fun, right Evie?"

"Right!" she replied cheerfully.

"All right then," Sara said with a smile. She leaned forward and kissed her daughter's forehead. "Be good while we're gone."

"I will!" Evie promised. She turned to her father and reached out with her arms to hug his neck. "Bye Daddy!"

Michael hugged his daughter goodbye and also left a peck on her forehead. "Bye sweetie. We'll be back later in the afternoon."

"Okay," both LJ and Evie replied.

Michael and Sara waved as they began walking back to their car, while Michael slipped an arm around his wife's waist. LJ and Evie waved after them. They stood in the doorway and watched as they drove away. When their car turned the corner, they went back into the house.

"So what should we do today?" LJ asked his cousin.

Evelyn put her fingertip on her bottom lip in contemplation. Then suddenly her eyes lit up with excitement. "You wanna see something funny, LJ?" Evie asked him.

"Sure." LJ put his cousin down and she dug into her brightly colored backpack, looking for something.

"Ta da!" Evie said, smiling brightly as she presented LJ with a glossy photograph of her "art project."

LJ burst out into a fit of laughter. "Is this real?"

Evie nodded. "Daddy fell asleep and wouldn't wake up, so I colored in the pictures on his back because I was bored. Then Mommy took pictures!"

"Oh man, this is hilarious!" LJ said, wiping tears of laughter from the corners of his eyes. He stared down into the picture of his uncle's rainbow colored back and grinned. Suddenly, an idea hit him. A streak of mischief could be seen in his eyes.

"Hey Evie," LJ began, "I have an idea of how we'll pass the time today."

"What is it?"

He grinned at her. "We're going to do the same thing that you did to your dad to my dad."

Evie stifled a giggle with her hand. "But Uncle Linc doesn't have pictures on his back like Daddy."

"We'll be creative," LJ said.

---

"I'm not sure if it was a good idea to leave Evie with LJ. Who knows what kind of trouble they'll get into," Michael said to his wife as he was driving.

"They'll be fine, Michael," Sara reassured him. She smiled. "So what should we get Evie for her birthday?"

"I was thinking one of those art supplies kits," Michael suggested.

"Good idea," Sara said. "Then after we pick one up, we'll head back home and spend the rest of the day in bed having sex. What do you say?"

"I'd say that that is definitely a good idea," Michael said, grinning.

---

"Is Uncle Linc's head really that big?" Evie asked, tilting her head to the side as she looked at her uncle who was sleeping in bed, snoring.

"Yeah," LJ replied with a laugh. "It's as big as a melon, isn't it?"

Evie giggled and nodded, agreeing. Then her eyes lit up in that way that usually meant trouble. She gasped with excitement. "I just got a really good idea!"

---

Sara collapsed onto Michael, tired and breathing heavily, but fully sated. Michael kissed her temple and then gently rolled her onto her back. She reached for him and kissed him on the lips. For a long time, the two of them lay in bed, enjoying the blissful aftermath of their lovemaking. Michael kissed Sara's throat and she relished the gentle ministrations of his mouth. Her eyes wandered to the clock on their nightstand and saw that it was almost four o' clock.

"It's getting late," she told Michael. "We have to go pick up Evie."

"Thirty more minutes," Michael murmured, nuzzling her neck.

Sara gently laughed. "Weren't you the one who was worried about what kind of trouble Evie and LJ would get into together?" she said, reminding him.

"Good point," Michael said relenting. He gave his wife a quick kiss and then pulled her out of bed. "Come on."

---

"That's really good, Evie," LJ remarked as he watched his five year old cousin draw a picture while sitting at the coffee table. After their "art project," they ate lunch, watched some television, and then spent the rest of the afternoon drawing more pictures. This time on paper.

"Thanks!" she said with a smile.

The two of them both looked up when the doorbell rang. Evie squealed in delight and sprung from the table, heading to the front door. LJ smiled and got up after her, wondering where his cousin's limitless energy and enthusiasm came from. He answered the door to see his aunt and uncle standing before them.

"Hey," LJ said.

"Mommy! Daddy!" Evie said happily as she hugged her parents.

"Hi sweetie," Sara said.

"Mommy, me and LJ did another art project today!" Evie said.

"Oh really?" Sara asked, slowly looking to Michael with slight worry coming onto her face.

Evie nodded and grabbed her mommy's hand. "Come on, you and Daddy have to see!" she said excitedly.

Michael and Sara exchanged another look of concern. They let Evie and LJ lead the way to Lincoln's bedroom. The sight that they were met with once they reached Lincoln's room had them trying, with difficulty, not to burst out laughing.

There on his bed Lincoln slept, the side of his head colored in green like a watermelon. There was even a little section of red with black dots to make it look like a slice had been cut away.

Evie smiled proudly. "Do you like it?" she asked her parents.

Michael nodded while a big smile of amusement appeared on his face. "Well, I guess Lincoln will think twice before he drinks too much again."

Sara dug into her purse for her digital camera. "I have to get a picture of this!"

Michael slightly frowned. "Did you take pictures when Evie did this to me?" he asked his wife.

Sara smiled sweetly at her husband after she took a couple of shots. "Of course!"

"Hey!" Michael said in mock indignation, reaching for the camera.

LJ and Evie stood off to the side watching, laughing their butts off, while Lincoln slept soundly, melon head and all.


	6. Stranger

**The Art Project Series**  
**Author: ** Liayso  
**"Stranger"**- Little Evie was taught by her parents not to speak to strangers, but what if it can't be helped?

---

"Sara! Over here!"

Sara turned her head to the voice that had called out and saw her friend Maricruz along with her kids. She smiled and gripped Evelyn's hand in hers as they walked towards them. It was a bright sunny day and the moms decided to spend it with their children at the park.

"Hi Maricruz," Sara said giving her friend a hug.

"Hi Mrs. Sucre," Evie greeted the Sucres cheerfully. "Hi Jimena! Hi Miguel!"

Maricruz just smiled while her two eldest children squealed in excitement at their arrival. The Sucre children numbered three in total, the eldest being a sweet lively boy, Miguel. He was a year and a half older than Evie and his sister, Jimena. He was almost the spitting image of his father, except for the shaved head. It was also thought, at least by the adults, that Miguel might have a little crush on Evie.

Jimena was Evie's best friend. The two of them were as thick as thieves. They shared the same vibrant enthusiasm and excitement for life and the same affinity for pranks. Like Miguel was the spitting image of his father, Jimena was the spitting image of her mother, even right down to the dimples.

The youngest of the Sucre children was only one year old. Baby Ana gurgled in happiness as she sat in her stroller, as if she sensed the excitement all around her. Sara went to her and tickled her belly, eliciting a giggle from the infant.

"She's getting bigger every day," Sara commented.

"Yeah," Maricruz said as she let her finger be grasped by her youngest daughter's small hand. "I heard you're having another baby." She smiled. "Congratulations!"

"Thank you," Sara said, smiling and glowing.

Jimena tugged on the bottom of her mother's shirt. "Can me and Evie and Miguel go play with the ball over there?" she asked as she pointed to a grassy knoll a little bit away from the table area.

"Sure, but don't go too far away," Maricruz answered.

Jimena smiled prettily up at her mother and the three kids ran off. Sara called out to her daughter.

"Evie, be careful okay?"

"All right, mommy!" Evie said as she ran, trying to keep up with Miguel who had the soccer ball.

While their moms sat at the table chatting and taking turns cooing at Baby Ana, Miguel, Jimena and Evie kicked the soccer ball around.

"Papa said that I can join the soccer team when I'm older," Miguel proclaimed proudly as he passed the ball to Evie.

"Wow," Evie said, "that sounds like fun!" She kicked the ball over to Jimena. "What about you, Jimena?"

Jimena stopped the ball with her little foot. She shook her head. "I don't want to. Besides, I'm not good at this," she said as she clumsily passed the ball back to her brother.

"That's because you're a girl!" Miguel said as he caught the ball easily with his feet. Jimena replied by sticking out her tongue at her brother. Evie laughed.

Miguel then decided to scare his little sister and kicked the soccer ball as hard as he could. Jimena squealed in fright and ducked as the ball sailed over her head and began rolling down the hill.

"Look what you did!" Jimena whined and then flew at her brother to sock him.

"I'll get it!" Evie shouted as the siblings fought, but they didn't hear her. She began running down the hill after the ball, out of the view of her mom and Maricruz.

The hill was pretty steep, so the ball was rolling quite fast. Evie did her best not to fall over as she ran after it, instinctively trying to balance herself to keep from tumbling. The ball reached the base of the hill and kept rolling until it stopped in front of the feet of a man with dark hair.

Evie slowed her sprint, panting slightly from running so fast. She stopped in her tracks as the strange man picked up the ball. The man looked up and then grinned at her from underneath a thick dark moustache. Evie unconsciously took a step backwards. Her gut was telling her that this man was a stranger, and she shouldn't talk to strangers. Her mommy and daddy told her not to. They told her to go find them if a stranger ever came up to her.

Her eyes traveled to the ball he held. But she couldn't just let him have the ball. It belonged to her friends and Miguel needed it so he could practice and then join the soccer team. So she stood there and waited for the man to give her the ball back.

"Is this your ball, sweetheart?" the man asked.

Evie became scared and uncomfortable. The way he had said 'sweetheart' was not at all like the way her mommy and daddy and uncle and cousin said it. There was nothing good attached to the endearment. She slowly nodded.

The man grinned again and it frightened Evie. "Would you like it back?" he asked her.

Again, Evie just nodded.

"You're going to have to do something for me in return, sweetie," he said as he took a step towards her like some towering force.

Evie's eyes became wide like saucers and she was just about to scream and run when another man suddenly appeared and grabbed the wrist of the first man. This second man had the same dark appearance of the first man, but instead of a moustache, he had what Evie had heard her father call 'stubble' on his chin. Strangely though, Evie wasn't afraid of this man the way she was of the first man.

"I suggest you just give the little girl her ball back and walk away," the second man said quietly. "Walk far away and never come back."

The first man grimaced as if in pain. Evie thought then that maybe the second man was probably holding the first man's wrist too tight. She watched in slight awe and fear as the first man handed the ball to the other man and walked away. The second man kept his eyes on the first until he disappeared from his sight before turning to Evie. He slowly came up and then knelt down in front of her, holding out the soccer ball.

"Here."

Evie slowly and cautiously took the ball from the man, but she didn't say a thing.

The man gave her a small smile. "What's the matter?"

"I'm not supposed to talk to strangers," she told him, trusting him just a tiny bit. "My mommy and daddy told me so."

He smiled again. "You're mommy and daddy are smart people," he told her. "But I'm not exactly a stranger, Evie."

Evie's eyes widened again. "How do you know my name?"

"I know a lot about you and your family," he said. "I was a friend of your mom's back in the day." He smiled a friendly smile at her. "We used to eat pie together."

"Pie?" Evie was starting to feel comfortable with this stranger. "What kind of pie?"

"Blueberry."

Evie smiled. "I like blueberry pie!"

He smiled back at her. "I thought you would. You're the spitting image of Sara. Although…" he trailed off as he looked at Evie a bit more closely. "You have your father's eyes."

"What's your name?" Evie asked him.

"Paul."

"Evie! Evie, where are you?"

Evelyn turned at the sound of her mother's voice and she answered her. "I'm over here, Mommy!"

Evie then turned back around to face Paul again, but he was gone. She looked around, but didn't see him at all. Evie's shoulders fell. She didn't get to thank him for getting the ball back for her.

"Evie!" Sara shouted as she ran to her daughter and scooped her up into her arms. "I thought we told you not to go too far away!"

"I'm sorry, Mommy," Evie said, "but I had to get the ball. And then this man appeared and he had the ball, and…"

"A man?" Sara said, her eyes widening with fear.

Evie nodded. "And he scared me, Mommy. But then another man came and he made the scary man go away and gave me back the ball."

Sara looked around for any sight of the men her daughter was telling her about. She wrapped her arms around her daughter even tighter. Evie kept rambling.

"The second man said that he was your friend and that you used to eat blueberry pie together."

"Blueberry pie?" Sara said, a weird feeling forming in the pit of her stomach. She knew it wasn't because of her pregnancy.

Evie nodded. "He said his name was Paul." She looked around. "I don't know where he went though. He seemed nice."

Sara took a deep breath, her nerves rattled. It was bad enough that she got the scare of her life when she saw that Evie was missing, but if what Evie was telling her was true then…

"Mommy?" Evie asked. "Are you okay?"

Sara took another deep breath. "Yeah…yeah," she said a bit shaken. "Let's just go home."

---

"Are you serious?"

Later that night, after Sara put Evie to bed, she told Michael what had happen that afternoon.

Sara nodded. "That's what Evie told me. And if what she said was true, then…"

"…Paul Kellerman is still alive," Michael said, finishing his wife's sentence.

Sara nodded again.

"Do you think he's after us?" Michael asked her.

Sara shook her head. "If he wanted to hurt us, he would have done something to Evie." She swallowed hard as she thought of the danger Evie had been in earlier. "But he saved her, Michael. If he hadn't been there, then that man would have…"

Michael pulled his wife into his arms, giving her a comforting embrace. "I don't even want to think about what would have happen."

Sara nodded against his chest, agreeing with him.

"Let's just be thankful that Evie's safe," Michael murmured into her hair.

Sara nodded again. They held each other for a long moment before they heard their doorbell ring. Sara slowly pulled away from her husband, glancing in the direction of their front door. "Who could that be at this hour?"

The two of them walked together and opened the door… but no one was there. There were only two boxes sitting on their front steps, one big and one small, with the small box sitting on top of the big one. An envelope lay on the small box and it was addressed to Sara.

Sara picked up the envelope and opened it, taking out the piece of paper inside:

_Sara,_

_As you might have guessed, I'm still very much alive. I won't go into the details on how that is so because they are unimportant. However, I do want you to know that I mean you and your family no harm. I was just passing through the city and decided to see how you all were doing. I was not planning to meet any one of you face to face, but I had to intervene when I saw your daughter entering into some danger._

_She's a lovely girl, your Evie. I heard that her birthday was coming up so I got her a present. That would be the big box. I knew you and Michael would want to know what it is, so I put it in a box with a lid instead of wrapping it so you could look at it yourselves. Don't worry; it's just a teddy bear._

_The smaller box is for you. You may share it with Michael and your daughter if you want to. Think of it as one of the many apologies I owe you for all the horrible crimes I've committed against you and your family. I am trying to atone for my sins. There is still a long way for me to go. _

_Whatever happens to me, know that I wish you and your family well._

_Your old friend,_

_P. Kellerman_

_AKA "Lance"_

Sara looked up as she finished reading the letter and saw that Michael had picked up the smaller box. He opened it and then glanced at Sara. She peeked at what was inside.

It was a pie. Most likely blueberry. Sara let out a small laugh.

"It might be poisoned," Michael said, but Sara shook her head.

"It is not," Sara told him, sure of herself. She took the box from his hands and motioned for him to bring the bigger box that contained Evie's birthday present inside the house.

"How do you know?"

"Because Paul Kellerman is no longer an enemy of ours."

Michael raised an eyebrow. "So now he's our friend?"

Sara shook her head. "No. He's still a stranger to us," she told him. "Maybe one day he'll let us get to know him and he won't be a stranger anymore." She smiled at her husband. "Come on, help me eat this pie. I can't finish it by myself."

Michael smiled back and placed a hand on her stomach, where their baby was growing. "You're not by yourself, remember?"

Sara pulled him into a sweet kiss. "I have you to thank for that!"


	7. The Woman in the Photograph

**The Art Project Series**  
**Author:** Liayso  
**"The Woman in the Photograph"**- Little Evie Scofield finds a picture of a pretty black haired, blue eyed lady. Curious about this woman in the photgraph with her daddy and uncle, she asks her family about her.

---

Michael let out a long sigh and then stretched out his arms. He sat in the office of his home, at his desk, just finishing up some work for a new building development he was working on for his firm. His eyes wandered across his desk and fell upon a framed photo. He smiled.

The photo was of Evie's "Art Project," the one that featured him and his tattooed back. Sara had thought it cute to frame the picture that she took and place it on his desk. At first Michael was embarrassed to have it there, but now every time he looked at it, he couldn't help but smile and laugh.

Michael picked up the picture frame and stared down at it. His tattoo was a dark reminder of the past yet Evie was able to ride it of its darkness and turn it into something he could smile about. Michael thanked God every day for giving him such a wonderful daughter, even if she managed to get into trouble and mischief every now and then. And he had another one on the way, he thought as his mind wandered to the baby growing in Sara's belly.

"Ahhhh!"

_CRASH!_

Michael looked up abruptly. He set down the picture and sprang up from his chair, hurrying outside into the hall.

"Evie!" he called out with concern.

"I'm over here Daddy," Evie's answered back, her voice coming from down the hall.

Michael practically sprinted to where he heard Evie was, worried that his daughter was hurt. He found her sitting on her bottom, just outside the hallway closet, her elbows and arms pointed behind her as if she had braced herself from a fall. She was surrounded by various items that had been in the closet.

Michael came up to his daughter and knelt down beside her, picking her up in his arms. "Evie, are you all right?"

The five year old nodded. She stood up nimbly and brushed off her knees with her small palms. "I'm fine Daddy," she said with a smile.

"What happened?"

Evie's smile began to disappear. She looked up at the closet. "Um," she began hesitantly.

"Evie…" Michael said with a stern voice.

"I fell."

"From where?"

"The top shelf in the closet," Evie said quietly.

"And what were you doing climbing the shelves in the closet?" Michael asked her.

She looked down at her feet. "I was looking for my birthday presents," Evie answered in that quiet guilty tone that said she knew she was in trouble.

"Evie…" Michael sighed. She did this last year around Christmas. He should have known that she would do it again. "It's dangerous to climb that height. Are you sure you're all right?" He asked her, looking her over again. "You're not hurt?"

Evie shook her head. "No, I'm okay." Apparently his daughter had inherited his high tolerance for pain along with the green eyes. She looked up at her father. "I'm sorry Daddy."

Michael sighed again. "It's all right, Evie." He bent down and began picking up the items Evie had knocked over on her tumble down. "Help me to clean this up before your mother comes home, okay?"

Evie nodded and bent down to help her dad. She gathered up a couple of old pens and pencils along with a flashlight. She turned and saw a picture. Evie recognized her daddy and her Uncle Linc, but there was a woman in the picture as well. The woman in the photo had black hair and the prettiest blue eyes, Evie thought. Her little fingers picked it up.

"Daddy," Evie began to ask, "who's this?" She showed him the picture.

Michael stopped picking up things and gently took the photograph from her hand. It was a picture of him, Lincoln, and Veronica at her college graduation. He was wearing that silly blue baseball cap. Lincoln was smiling broadly, an arm around Veronica as she held up her diploma.

_Veronica…_

It had been so long since… They rarely spoke of her, not wanting to upset Lincoln. The last time that Michael had even said her name was back when he and Lincoln first arrived in Panama. Michael had been so upset over Sara getting arrested and his brother didn't seem to care, so he hit Lincoln where it would hurt the most, by mentioning Veronica's death. That had earned him a well deserved tackle down the hill. Since then Michael never spoke of her ever again. Besides, thinking of her always brought back dark memories. Memories he and his family would like to forget.

"Daddy?" Evie called out again, trying to get his attention.

Michael shook himself out of his thoughts and he looked to his daughter. She gave him that curious look she always had when she wanted to know about things.

He swallowed hard and finally answered his daughter. "That's Veronica."

"Veronica?"

Michael nodded. "She was an old friend of mine and Uncle Linc's. We grew up together."

"How come I never met her?" Evie asked.

Michael looked down, a mixture of sadness and guilt gripping his heart.

"Daddy?" Evie called out once more.

He looked up at her and then back at the photo. His eyes began to glisten with tears that threatened to fall. He hadn't realized how much he missed Veronica. He missed her scolding words when he did things she didn't approve of. He missed the frustration they shared together whenever Lincoln got into trouble. He missed the hugs she gave him when he needed comfort. He just missed her.

Suddenly Michael felt his daughter come up to him and wrap her skinny arms around his body in a hug. His arms slowly wrapped around her in return.

"It's okay Daddy," Evie told him softly.

Michael nodded and held his daughter even tighter. He allowed one tear to fall and wiped it away. He took in a deep breath and slowly pulled away a little bit so he could look at his daughter's face. Michael reached up to her face and tucked an errant red curl behind her ear. He then pulled Evie onto his lap.

"Veronica… She…The reason you never met her is…" Michael began, stumbling over his words.

Evie slipped her little hand into his much larger one. She looked up at him with those big green eyes of hers. Michael took comfort in them and he was able to continue.

"She died a long time ago, before you were born," Michael finished.

"Oh," Evie said. "I'm sorry Daddy."

Michael hugged his daughter. "It's okay."

Evie looked at the photograph again. "She's really pretty." She looked back up at her father. "Do you and Uncle Linc miss her a lot?"

Michael nodded. "Yeah."

Evie looked at the picture once more. She saw the way her Uncle Linc held Veronica. "Did Uncle Linc like her a lot?"

Michael nodded again. "Uncle Linc loved her."

Evie looked up at her father. "Like you love Mommy?"

Michael smiled and nodded once more. "Yes, like how I love Mommy."

Evie smiled back at her father and she opened her mouth to ask another question, but then they heard Sara's voice coming from the front door.

"I'm home!" Sara called out. "Michael? Evie?"

Michael turned to his daughter and then lifted her off his lap. "Why don't you go greet Mommy and I'll finish cleaning this up?"

Evie nodded. "Okay."

She began to walk away, but then she stopped and looked behind her, back at her father. She saw him tuck the photograph back in a box, along with other things. Evie made a note of which box he put it into.

She still wanted to know more about the woman in the photo.

---

Later that night, as Sara was tucking Evie into bed, the five year old couldn't help but still wonder about the woman in the picture.

"Mommy, did you know Veronica?" Evie blurted out.

Sara finished tucking her daughter in and placed her favorite stuffed animal beside her. Sara looked at her daughter with curiosity as she sat on the side of the bed, wondering how she knew about Veronica Donovan. "Your father's and uncle's friend?"

Evie nodded.

"I only met her once," Sara said, remembering the night that Lincoln's execution was supposed to take place when she went to his lawyers to hear their case. She remembered the dark haired woman who so obviously cared a great deal about Lincoln. "Why are you asking sweetie?"

"Me and Daddy found a picture of her today," Evie told her mom. "Daddy told me she died a long time ago. He looked sad."

"I imagine so," Sara said. "Veronica was a good friend to your daddy and uncle."

"Daddy said that Uncle Linc loved Veronica," Evie said as she played with the ears of her teddy bear. She then looked at her mother. "Is Uncle Linc sad?"

"I don't know," Sara said as she smoothed her daughter's hair. "Uncle Linc never talks about her."

"Oh."

"Why are you asking about her Evie?" Sara asked.

"I'm just curious. I wanna know more about her," Evie answered.

Sara smiled. "You and your curiosity." She kissed her daughter's forehead goodnight. "Sleep tight sweetheart."

Evie nodded. "G'night Mommy," she said with a yawn. Moments later she fell asleep, her thoughts still wondering about the woman in the photograph.

---

"LJ!" Evie squealed and rushed towards her cousin the next day.

LJ laughed and scooped her up in his arms. "Hey there, Squirt!"

Evie smiled brightly at her cousin. "You're babysitting me again?"

LJ smirked. "I had nothing better to do."

The five year old gave him a mock frown. "But you like babysitting me!"

He laughed. "Yeah, but don't tell your parents that," LJ said in a loud whispered tone. "Then they'll stop paying me." Evie giggled.

"I heard that," Michael said as he came up to them. Sara had already left for work. He looked to LJ. "Your father's coming by later to pick up a certain girl's birthday presents so she won't be tempted to look for them before her birthday."

LJ laughed again, turning to Evie. "You did it again?" he asked remembering the Christmas present incident from last year. Evie just looked down sheepishly.

Michael just smiled and kissed the top of Evie's head goodbye. "I'll be back later."

Evie nodded. She reached out with her arms to give her father a hug. He was glad to oblige her. "Bye Daddy."

When the front door closed shut, LJ put his cousin down upon her two feet. She looked up at him as he stared down at her. "So, what should we do today?" he asked.

"Can you do something for me, LJ?" Evie asked.

"What?" LJ said as he eyed his cousin suspiciously.

"Can you get me something from the closet?"

"Evie," Lj said. "Considering that your dad just told me he was having my dad take away your presents until your party, I'm not about to reach up to the closet and get them for you."

"It's not my presents," Evie said.

LJ raised an eyebrow at her with a disbelieving look.

"It's not!" she insisted. "I just want to get a picture."

"A picture?"

Evie nodded and grabbed a hold of his hand, leading him to the hallway closet. "Come on!" She practically dragged him there.

"All right," LJ said as he stood in front of the opened closet. "Where is this picture?"

Evie pointed to the top shelf. "In that box."

LJ easily reached for the box and brought it down. He lifted the lid and saw many things inside it. Evie reached with her hands and plucked a single photograph out of the pile. LJ got a glimpse of it and gasped.

"Veronica…"

Evie looked to him. "You knew her?"

LJ slowly nodded. He took the photograph from his cousin, setting the box down. He moved to sit against the wall. Evie watched him as he sat down. He looked sad, just like her father. Evie came up beside him and sat down next to him, Indian-style.

"What was she like?" Evie asked.

LJ didn't take his eyes off the picture. "I…Veronica was…well, she was Veronica," he told her.

Evie looked to him for a bit more than that. "But what was she like?"

LJ turned to her and sighed. He glanced back at the photo. "She was…she was a good person. She was gutsy, always standing up to the big guys." He then smiled. "Your dad and my dad are a foot taller than her, but she was always able to bring them down like that," he said with a snap of her fingers, "whenever they acted out of line."

"Really?" Evie asked with amazement.

LJ nodded. "Sometimes she took care of me when I was a kid." He then remembered that time when his mom got killed and how Veronica was able to get the secret service people off his track. "She saved my life once."

"How?" Evie asked, this time in curiosity.

LJ stared at the photo in his hand and then looked to his cousin. He patted her head. "Evie, that's not a time I would like to remember."

"Oh," Evie said. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," LJ said as he handed the photograph to his cousin, not sure what to do with it. He stood up and then held out his hand to the girl. She took it and was lifted up to her feet. "Let's go do something fun, okay?"

Evie glanced at the picture once more. She then looked back at her cousin, sensing that he wouldn't tell her any more about Veronica. But there was still more she wanted to know about her. "Okay," she told him.

It looked like she was going to have to ask someone else about her.

---

Later that evening, when Michael and Sara came home, LJ went up to Evie's father and asked him if he could talk to him alone. Michael nodded and the two of them went to his office. Evie had a feeling they were talking about her and her curiosity about Veronica.

Evelyn sat at the dinner table as she watched her mommy prepare things for dinner when the door bell rang. Sara looked up. "That must be Lincoln."

The two of them went to the front door and sure enough, it was Lincoln. Evie smiled up at her big uncle. She reached up with her arms, wanting a hug. "Hi Uncle Linc!"

Lincoln smiled back and gave her the hug she wanted. "Hi Evie." He then picked her up in his big arms. "I heard you were looking for your birthday presents."

Evie just grinned sheepishly. Sara smiled at them. She then looked to Lincoln. "Can you keep an eye on her while I cook dinner?"

Lincoln nodded and Sara left for the kitchen. He walked over to the couch and sat down, with Evie still in his arms.

"Uncle Linc," Evie began, "can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

Evie bit her bottom lip. She then scrambled off of her uncle's lap. "Hold on," she told him as she went to the pile of papers covered with marker drawings she had drawn that afternoon on the coffee table.

"Evie?" Lincoln looked at his niece with curiosity.

She came back to him with a photograph in her hand and showed it to him. "Can you tell me about her?"

Lincoln stilled the moment he saw it. He stared at the picture a long moment before taking it from his niece. "Where did you get this?" he whispered.

"I found it," Evie told him. She looked at her uncle carefully. She saw the same kind of sadness in him that she saw in her daddy and LJ when they saw the picture. Only, it seemed like his sadness was bigger. A whole lot bigger.

She watched as tears began to fill her uncle's eyes and she was so surprised at the sight. Evie had never seen her uncle cry before. She didn't think he ever cried. Without thinking, Evie crawled back into her uncle's lap and wrapped her arms around him in a big hug.

"I'm sorry Uncle Linc," she said, beginning to cry herself. "I didn't mean to make ya cry." She looked up at him and wiped his tears away with her little palm.

"I'm not crying," Lincoln insisted even as his niece was wiping his tears away.

"Daddy told me you loved Veronica," Evie said.

Lincoln nodded. "Yes… I still do…"

Evie looked at the photograph once more, at the smiling dark haired woman with the pretty blue eyes. "And she loved you too," she stated softly as a fact. Evie knew it, even with her five, almost six, year old mind. She knew it from Veronica's smile, from the happiness on her face as she stood next to Lincoln in the photo.

Lincoln looked down at his niece and wiped her own tears away with the pad of his thumb.

"You and Daddy and LJ all got sad when you saw the picture of her," Evie said. "She was important to you, huh?"

Lincoln just nodded, feeling a little choked up

"And you were all sad when she died, weren't you?"

Lincoln nodded again. Evie then took the photo from her hands and held it in front of her.

"You know what Uncle Linc?" Evie asked him. He looked to her. "I think she wouldn't want you and Daddy and LJ to be sad." She pointed to the picture. "Look at her. She's smiling and happy and she would want you to be happy, don't you think?"

"It's hard Evie," Lincoln said, finding his voice again. "She… she died trying to save my life. It's my fault she's dead."

Evie shook her head. "No, Uncle Linc. You're wrong. It's not your fault. She wouldn't say that," Evie said, sure of herself. She had been looking at that photograph all afternoon and she just knew it, knew that Veronica would never blame Uncle Linc for her death. Veronica wouldn't want the people she loved to be sad.

"I don't think Veronica would be happy to see you and Daddy and LJ become sad every time you saw her picture," Evie told him. "So you better smile and think of the happy times, okay?" She then looked at him as sternly as a five year old could. "Or else she'll have to come back from Heaven and kick your butt!"

Lincoln let out a small laugh through his tears. He looked at his niece carefully. For such a young age, she was very wise. She was right. Ever since Veronica died, he had always blamed himself. And every time he thought of her, he thought of only the sad memories. He never thought of the times where the two of them were happy and smiling. Like at her graduation. Like in the picture that Evie was holding.

"Uncle Linc?" Evie said, trying to get his attention.

"You're right, Evie," Lincoln said, wrapping his arms around his niece. He pulled her into him for a hug. "You're absolutely right. She wouldn't want me or any of us to be sad." It wasn't what she died for.

Evie smiled up at him. "So you can't be sad, okay?"

Lincoln smiled back at his niece. "I'm not sad," he told her. "I'm not sad anymore. I have such a wonderful niece who loves me, what is there to be sad about?"

Evie's smile grew bigger and she buried her head into his large chest. "I'm glad."

Lincoln sighed and looked at the picture of Veronica once again. And he smiled this time.

At that moment, both Michael and LJ stepped into the living room, having just finished their talk in Michael's office. They saw Evie and Lincoln on the couch with Lincoln holding the photograph of Veronica in his hand.

"Evie!" Michael gasped, afraid that his daughter had upset his brother by asking him about Veronica.

Lincoln looked up to look at his brother and his son. "It's okay, Michael," he told him. He looked at the picture again. "It's finally okay."

And at that moment Michael realized that his brother was finally able to let go of his guilt over Veronica's death. He was finally able to push aside the sadness he felt whenever he thought of her. And it was all thanks to Evie.

Michael stared in amazement at his daughter and again thanked God for blessing him with her.

---

Evie was unusually quiet as the five of them sat down for dinner. She was staring down at her food, deep in thought.

"Evie?" Michael said, calling out to from across the dinner table. "What's the matter?"

The five year old, soon to be six year old, looked up. "Can I ask you and Mommy something?"

Sara looked at her daughter. "What is it sweetie?"

"If the baby is a girl," she began, motioning to her mommy's belly, "can we name her Veronica?"

Sara looked to Michael and Michael looked to Lincoln. LJ looked at Lincoln as well. He just smiled.

Both Michael and Sara turned back to their daughter. "Sure Evie," Michael said.

"But what if the baby is a boy?" LJ pointed out.

They all turned to Evie to see what she would have to say about that. She had her little finger pressed up to her chin in thought. Her eyes then lit up in that special way of hers.

"Then can we name him Ron?" she asked, using only the middle letters of Veronica's name.

All four of them smiled at the little girl. LJ patted his cousin's head with affection while Michael and Sara nodded, accepting her name choices for the baby. Lincoln smiled and then looked to the wall where the picture of him, Veronica, and Michael was now framed, amongst the other various pictures of friends and family.

---


End file.
